Door latch



Feb. 14, 1928. 1,658,903

G. E. RoEDDlNG DOOR LATCH Filed July 19. 1926 nimm! I IN VEN TOR.

GUZcZQz/z, Hoe CD17' y?? BY 6?@5 ATTORNEYS.

Patented' Feb. 14, 1928.

UNITED STATES "PATENT,OFFICE. i

GORDON E. ROEDDING, OF GRAND 'BIAPIDSy MICII-IIGrAN,` ASSIGNOBTO GRAND `RAPIDS BRASS COMPANY, 10F GRAND RAPIDS;MICHIGAN,4 AfCO.RI0IR,AI[I01\T'0]3:lYlICI-IIGAN.k

:noon

LATCH. Y

Application filed July 19, 1926. Serial No.`123,276.`

The present invention "relates to latches i'or refrigerator doors andthelike; andits' bemounted on Ya door svvingably ycarried at' either of its opposite sides; and lfurther,

to provide mean-s for holding'the latching bolt or a latchthus mounted against `retraction in one direction.

These ja-nd any other objects'hereinafter appearing are attained by, andthe invention lindsv preferable,y embodiment in, the structure hereinafter particularly` described in the body ort-his specilication and illustrated by the accompanying"drawings, in Whichz f Figure lis a iront view `or a. latch and its keeper element;

Figure 2 is an inner side view of the latch showing` the bolt inlatching position; y

Figure 3 isa like View oi'thefsame, but showing the bolt in a retracted'position;

Figure Ltis a horizontal sectional view or" the same taken on line l-4 of Figure 2";

and f Figure 5 is a left hand-side view o the latch and` its keeper element; showing the door member on which the latch mounted approaching closedV position.

In the embodfment `of the invention illustrated by the accompanying drawings, a latch is shown mounted on theclosure member l or a door, its keeper member 2 being mounted onl the jamb or frame member Bot the door. i y

In Figure l'the latch is shown Vmounted on a. closure Lmember hinged atits right hand side, but'the same latch may be mounted on a closure'member hinged at its opposite or left-hand side. This V`latch comprises a latching bolt 4e swingably mounted on the pivot post 5 and enclosed ina casingt, a portion 7 of 'the bolt'ertending through a slot 8` in the lcasing and being :adapted to latchingly engage kin thekeeperorrecess 9 in the element 2 to hold the closure member l shut, saidy portion 7 'being desirably provided with an anti-friction roll 10. This latching bolt may be'swung by' handtby* any suitable means or part thereof; 'inthe illustrated construction however it issWung by its handle arm 1p1 extendingv `through an opening l2 inthe casing.

In the illustrated latch capable yo'being *mountedv on thek right hand side or theleft handf side of a closure member, the bolt 4 "has two Openjbearmgs 13,' 14 spaced apart "in' the ,'bolts transverse direction. The "tloating` element `l5*slidably` bearsbetween the bolt Lland the rearwall'l or thev casing and has three portions 18; 19, 2O triangularly spaced apart. "Tivo or these `portions-#18;

"ings 13,14 respectively inthe latchin'g posi- Means are provided for urging)thisfele-v ment 15 towardy said bearings, comprising a member Qlfvvhose spring ends 22 bearon the Wall 23 `offthe casing.` and Whose middle "portion has a bearing '24 inn'hich is vheld the thirdportion 20 orsaidk element 15;` AAs the latching bolt is swung in eitherfdirection "from llatchingy position, this portion 2() turn-s in ythe bearing 24.-. The spring-*pressed member 21 yieldingly holds tliebolt dinits ila'tching engagement fin the* keeper and also holds the same yieldingly in either or its "retracted *posit-ions; and when `this'bolt rinoves to or from its -latchingposition and -irom orto either oi itsretracted positions it is, yat'a certain pointin itsv movement,

Vurged tothe position to Which it may beV -wherein its extremity 27 engagesa stop28 "on 'thecasing topre'vent the ou'tere'ndA 7 `of thebolt from being moved downwardly and vthe `bolt from moving to that retracted Vfposif tion inxivhich the b'olts 1handlearni11 is elevated. This provision ismadetoprevent y the bolt 4C `trom being accidentally moved to the said retracted position when the closure member l is open, for, in such an accidents occurrence, the bolt retracted into the said position would str'ke the. door amb or 'trame should the closure be slammed shut and thus likely injure the parts. lhen this latch is mounted on adoor hinged at it' lett hand side, the detent falls by gravity to an opposite position wherein its other extremity engages the opposite stop Si to effect a like purpose. l desire to claim this detent broadly inasmuch as it is opera le in the same manner in connection with any latching bolt movable in opposite directions trom latching position and being tliusadaptable 'for inounting on a door hinged at either side.

in case the latch is mounted only on doors hinged at their righty hand sid-es or only on doors hinged at their left hand sides, one ot the bearings i3 or ld the case may be) does not turnably receive the corresponding portion 18 or 19 oic the element l5, but constitutes merely a sui-tace or' the bolt with K which said corresponding` portion oil the element l5 engages or abuts in the bolts latch-l ing position. Y

When the closure member l is moved to nearly closed position, the roll iO strikes the inclined portion 35 or the element 2, in

case the latching bolt happens to be iii the position seen in Figure 2, and in the t'urtlier closing movement of the member l the roii 10 ot the retracted bolt strikes the inclined portion 36 ot the element 2 .and is thereby moved downwardly into latching engagement in the keeper or recess 9.

The invention being intended to be pointed out in the claims, is not to be limited to or by details of construction ot the particuvone of which seats in said bearing and anaother of which engages said surtace in the 'bolts latching position, said first-mentioned portion turning said bearing in the bolts swinging movement; means having a bearing containing the third of said portions or".

said element and in which it turns in the bolts swinging movement, said means being spring-pressed to urge the two first-mentioned portions oi said element into seating position in the bolts bearing and into engagement with its said surface respectively in the bolts latching position, and to yieldingly hold the bolt in either of its said positions, and at a point in the bolts movement to urge the same to the other ot its said positions.

2. in combination with a keeper, a latch comprising: ya boit swingably mounted on a door member and movable to latching position in the keeper' and in either direction therefrom to retracted position, and having open` bearings spaced apart in the boltls transverse direction; an element having three spaced-apart portions, two of which seat in the bolts bearings respectively in the latching position of the bolt, and in one of said bearings one ot said two portions turns in the bolts movement to and from one of its retracted positions and in the other of said bearings the other ot' said two portions turns in the bolts movement to and from the other or'l its retracted positions; means having a bearing containing the third of said portions ot said element and in which it turns in the holts swinging movement, said means being spring-pressed to urge the two iirst-mentioned por ions oit said elementinto seating position in the bolts bearings in the bolt-s latching position, and to yieldingly hold the bolt in any ot its said positions .and at a point in the bolts movement to urge the same to another ot its said positions.

3. combination with a keeper, a latch comprising: a bolt swingably mounted on a door and movable to latching position in the keeper and in either direction therefrom to retracted position, and having open bearings spaced apartin the bolts transverse direction; an element having three spaced-apart portions, two of which seat in the bolts bearings respectively in the latching position oi yposition in the bolts bearings in the bolts iatching position, and to yieldinglj,7 hold the bolt in any ot its said positions and at a point in the bolt-s movement to urge the same to another ot its said positions; stops carried by said door member on the opposite sides respectively of the bolt; a detent turnable on the bolt to a position engaging one ot the stops to hold the bolt against movement in one direction to retracted position, and turnable on the bolt to another position engaging the other stop to hold the bolt against movement in the other direction to retracted position. Y

e. In combination with a keeper, a latch threev spaced-apart portions, two of which seat in the bolts bearings respectively in the latching position of the bolt, and in one of said bearings one of said two portions turns in the bolts movement to and from one of its retracted positions and in the other of sai-d bearings the other of said two portions turns in the bolts movement to and from the other of its retracted positions; means having a bearing Vcontaining the third of said portions of said elementand in which it turns in the lbolts swinging movement, said means being spring-pressed to urge the two inst-mentioned portions of said element into seating position in the bolts bearings in the bolts latching position, and to yieldingly hold the bolt in any of its said positions and at a pointin the bolts movement to urge the same to another ,of its said positions; stops carried by sai-d door member on the opposite sides respectively of the bolt;,a detent turnable by gravity on the bolt to a position engaging one of the stops to hold the bolt against movement in one direction to retracted position, and turnable on the bolt to another position engaging the other stop to hold the bolt against movement in the other direction to retracted position.r

5. In combination with a keeper, a latch comprising: a bolt swingably mountedron a door memberand movable to latching position in the keeper and in either direction therefromrto retracted position; stops carried by said door member on the opposite sides respectively of the bolt; a detent turnable on the bolt toa posit-ion engaging one of the stops to hold the bolt against movementin one direction to retracted position, and turnable on the bolt to another position engaging the other stop to hold the bolt against movement in the other direction to retract-ed position.

6. In combination with a keeper, aklatch comprising: a bolt swingably mounted on a door member and movableto latching position in the keeper and in either directionv able by gravity on the bolt to a position en- Y gaging one of the stops to hold the bolt against movement in one direction to retracted position, and turnable on the bolt tol another position engaging the other stop to hold fthe bolt against movement in the other direction to retracted position.

7. In combination with a keeper, a latch comprising: a bolt swingably mounted on a door member and movable to latching position in the keeper and to retracted position, and having an open bearing and a surface space-d therefrom in the bolt-s transverse direction; an element having three portions one of which seats in said bearing andan-f7- otherof which engages said surface in the bolts latching position, said first-mentioned portion turning in said bearing inthe bolts swinging movement; means having a bearing containing the third of said portions' of said elementv and in which it turns in the tion inthe keeper and in either direction therefromto retracted position, and having open bearings space-d apart in the bolts transverse direction; an element having three spaced-apart portions, two of` which seat in the bolts bearings respectively in the latching yposition of the bolt, and in one of said bearings one of said two portions turns in the bolts movementrto and from one of its retracted positions and in the other of said bearings the other of said two portions turns in the bolts movement to and from the other of its retracted positions; means having a bearing containing the third of said portions of said element and in which it turns inthe bolts swinging movement, said means being spring-pressed to urge the two first-mentioned portions of said element into seating position in the bolts bearings in the bolts latching position, and to yieldingly hold the bolt in any of its said positions. i

In testimony whereof I vhave hereunto set my hand at Grand Rapids, Michigan, this 15th day of July, 1926.

GonnoN E. RonnniNe.

lil5 

